AGRICULTURE

The Philippines is home to the swamp water buffalos, locally referred to as carabaos. The carabaos mainly help farmers plow the field, carry heavy loads of crop produce, and provide an alternative source of food. However due to the advancement of technology, carabaos were easily replaced by machineries for farm work. Our scientists have found ways to improve the characteristics of our locally bred carabaos and increase their potential as sources of meat and dairy.  Native carabaos and dairy type buffalos are crossbred to produce an offspring that is meatier, heavier, and have higher milk production while retaining its draft ability. Thermo Scientific’s Axiom Buffalo Genotyping Solution helps breeders identify and choose buffalos with superior traits for milk production, meat marbling, feed conversion efficiency and others; thus maximizing the offspring’s genetic value. Through the use of carabao genomic information, scientists now help rural farmers establish various enterprises from the products derived from optimally crossbred carabaos. This among other research works of our carabao scientists ultimately contributes to the total agricultural economy of the country.